Powell Praises McNamara’s Catalans

Castleford Tigers boss Daryl Powell says he has a lot of respect for Steve McNamara and Catalans Dragons after their Challenge Cup win. The French side unexpectedly triumphed 20-14 against Warrington Wolves on Saturday to seal a historic cup win and become the first non-British side to lift the Challenge Cup trophy in its 122-year history.

Ahead of their Super 8s meeting on Saturday at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle Stadium, Powell has been praising his upcoming opponents and says special praise should go to McNamara, who has turned the club from relegation candidates into cup winners.

“Catalans have been excellent,” said Powell. “They obviously had a lot of French players in the World Cup and it took them some time to get going, but you have to give a massive amount of credit to Steve McNamara and how positive he’s been all the way through.